French President Nicolas Sarkozy has confirmed that he will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics on 8 August. 

He was speaking after meeting Chinese President Hu Jintao at the G8 summit. 

There had been speculation that the French President would stay away in protest over Chinese actions in Tibet. 

At first sight, the G8 agreement on climate change promises much. 

Leaders are 'committed to avoiding the most serious consequences of climate change', and determined to stabilise greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at levels that would avoid 'dangerous climate change'. 

The Catholic Church's most senior figure in Australia, Cardinal George Pell, has conceded a letter he wrote to a man who had been sexually assaulted by a priest was a mistake but has defended his overall handling of the case. 

(With Apologies to AB Paterson) 

For years I brown-nosed bastards from the Centre to the Right,I fiddled with the numbers & I suck-holed day & night.

And when they wouldn't have me, waited for the next election,

The Village Chronicle 

Latest headlines ….. 

·                     Cardinal Pell accused of paedophile cover-up

The Editor,

Sydney Morning Herald.                                                                   July 8, 2008.  

‘Pell accused of sex abuse cover-up’, Herald, July 8.  

Western governments like to depict terrorism as a uniquely moral evil which democratic states do not engage in.  

But history is filled with instances in which even democratic governments have sanctioned or perpetrated acts of violence that would ordinarily be described as 'terrorist', from bombings and assassinations to black ops and 'dirty wars'.  

New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma has accused the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) of trying to blackmail the State Government by calling a strike during World Youth Day (WYD). 

The rail union says it is planning to stop work for 24 hours on Thursday next week, when Pope Benedict has several events planned in the CBD. 

In 2004, the Vatican launched a global diplomatic campaign for the recognition of Christianphobia.  

The need for such a campaign, according to the sponsor of the UK Parliamentary debate on the issue, was, “the relentless assault on the nation’s much loved Christian heritage. It’s about how anti-Christian sentiment is increasing.”  

After fights over rising costs and falling pilgrim estimates, government and church both need World Youth Day to be a hit, writes Linda Morris. 

In the autumn of 2003, a high-ranking Vatican official visited Sydney for a week. He was Cardinal James Stafford, a member of John Paul II's inner circle and a mate of the Sydney Archbishop, Cardinal George Pell.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says he can't stand artwork that depicts naked children. 

Mr Rudd today said work such as that shown in this month's edition of Art Monthly Australia did the opposite of restoring dignity to the debate over depictions of children in art. 

The Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal Pell, said yesterday there was nothing immoral about commercialism as he opened the first official World Youth Day venue: a merchandise tent in Hyde Park. 

The Archdiocese of Sydney is contributing $15 million toward WYD events and denies it will be making a profit from the event. On optimistic days the pilgrim juggernaut is expected to hit 500,000 participants and bring millions of tourist dollars into the state.